


Peter Is (Not) A Greek Lady

by Pline



Category: Daredevil (TV), Marvel Cinematic Universe, Spider-Man - All Media Types, Spider-Man: Homecoming (2017)
Genre: Gen, Hurt/Comfort, Light spoilers for the movie, Mentor/Protégé, Peter Parker Needs a Hug, Post-Spider-Man: Homecoming
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-07-15
Updated: 2017-07-15
Packaged: 2018-12-02 12:10:47
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,801
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11509164
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Pline/pseuds/Pline
Summary: “What’s the point?” he wonders.Is there any point in him masquerading as a hero? For every couple, every child or old person he saves, there are a dozen others he can do nothing against. For every robbery he stops, there are countless others happening at the exact same time.He remembers when he was a kid, he had an intense period of reading everything he could find on Greek Mythology. A certain myth fascinated him, the story of the fifty daughters of Danaus, forty-nine of them of whom were sentenced to fill a pierced basin forever, only to be freed when full.Their eternal torment, their impossible chore, reminds him somehow of his own situation. He will never rid New York of crime. He cannot be everywhere at once. He cannot save everyone..(One day, Peter goes to Daredevil when he feels down.)





	Peter Is (Not) A Greek Lady

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Blue_Line](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Blue_Line/gifts).



> This fic is for my great friend Solène, I hope you like it!!

Peter considers himself a pretty positive person.

Even when the situation is gloom, he tries to figure a way out, he does not accept being stuck in the dark. He refuses to believe in no-win scenarios.

No, Peter likes to bright and pretty things. He likes rainbows and happy music to dance to. He likes puppies and videos of babbling babies.

Of course, he too can feel down, feel like there cannot be any joy again.

(The first weeks without Uncle Ben had been so hard on him, everything had looked so dull, his pain so sharp, and he couldn’t breathe, couldn’t live, couldn’t imagine ever moving on.)

(He still has trouble breathing whenever he feels trapped, what if the building collapses? What if no one hears him call out for help?)

But he thrives. He battles against his own demons – both real and in his head – and he learns to smile despite all odds. Smiling, joking: it’s his way of staying strong. It doesn’t mean he doesn’t understand the importance, the repercussions of what he does, but that keeps him grounded.

Being Spider-Man brings him joy. Out there, in the streets of his beloved city, he helps people. For all he feels tired and battered, he only needs the smile of a relieved New Yorker he just saved, or a little kid’s happy wave, and he is filled with a renewed energy that sends him jumping from a building to another, ready to rescue whoever needs to be rescued.

Yet, tonight, as the harsh cold rain drowns him, he cannot help but feel helpless. Minutes ago, he’s just saved a young couple from being robbed, and minutes before that he stopped a murder, and minutes before that, there was someone else who needed to be saved.

“What’s the point?” he wonders.

Is there any point in him masquerading as a hero? For every couple, every child or old person he saves, there are a dozen others he can do nothing against. For every robbery he stops, there are countless others happening at the exact same time.

He remembers when he was a kid, he had an intense period of reading everything he could find on Greek Mythology. A certain myth fascinated him, the story of the fifty daughters of Danaus, forty-nine of them of whom were sentenced to fill a pierced basin forever, only to be freed when full.

Their eternal torment, their impossible chore, reminds him somehow of his own situation. He will never rid New York of crime. He cannot be everywhere at once. He cannot save everyone.

And, tonight, he feels tired. The rain is not going to stop anytime soon, and he’s cold, and he feels old like he shouldn’t feel yet.

“What’s the point?” he asks out loud, but no one is here to give him an answer.

He needs to talk with someone, someone who will understand. He thinks about going to Mr Stark, the has been a superhero for over a decade, surely he would have felt the same way at least once. Peter almost takes his phone out of his pocket but stops himself, letting his hand float over his pocket. He does not want to whine to his idol, to this hero who has given him so much already and who was ready to make him an Avenger.

He does not want to look pathetic.

Some part of him understands this is not a weakness but his pride says otherwise.

In the end he does not call Mr Stark.

Instead, he makes his way to Hell’s Kitchen.

 

* * *

 

It doesn’t take long for Peter to find Daredevil, the man is not exactly hard to find with his horns and otherwise scary persona. Peter knows it’s the aim of his outfit, that he wants to inspire fear in the hearts of his enemies or whatever, but still.

“Hey Dave!” Peter says when he finds him. 

“My name isn’t Dave,” Daredevil says, not turning to watch him, but Peter senses a touch of amusement in his voice.

“Dante?”

“Neither.”

“Darryl?”

Daredevil actually scoffs at that.

“I’ll find it, one day, Mister Mystery.”

“Right. So what did you want? You’re not usually prone to wander around here. Everything okay in Queens?”

“Yeah sure, I was just saying hi, you know, nothing in mind.”

Even behind the mask, Peter can feel that Daredevil isn’t convinced. The man seems to always know when someone is lying and this is no exception.

“You’re lying.”

“But am I?”

“Spider-Man.”

Peter has only worked with Daredevil a few times but he knows he can trust the masked vigilante. The first time they met was when Daredevil had been looking for a guy in Queens and Peter had come face to face with Hell’s Kitchen’s very own devil.

Peter had tried not to freak out too much in front of one of New York’s famous Defender, and after teaming up against a particularly strong Inhuman, a tentative friendship had formed. If one could call friendship a relation where they did not know each other’s true identity, only met up to fight against bad guys and barely talked. Well, Daredevil barely talks at least, Peter on the other hand…

“Is there anything wrong?” Daredevil asks.

The rain is still falling, hard. Peter shivers despite his costume’s heater.

“I’m just tired, I guess? Kinda bored too, it’s raining too much even for criminals.

Daredevil’s focus is intensely targeted at Peter, but it’s not like when it’s targeted at villains. It’s somewhat softer, even behind the scary-looking mask. He says nothing though and Peter’s nervousness takes the better of him. He starts babbling.

“It’s like, why am I even outside you know? I mean, I’ve stopped a girl from being attacked so of course it’s worth it but in the end, I can never stop every crime. I want to help and I think I’m helping but just not enough. Tonight there’s the rain and it makes for less crimes, but other times it’s like I can never catch a break.”

Daredevil still says nothing and Peter still can’t stop talking.

“When I started as Spider-Man I didn’t really do much, you know? Stopped a few robberies here and there, helped old ladies find their way, that kind of stuff. But now, I don’t know if New York is getting less safe of I’m just better at spotting crimes, but I feel like I’m not making a real difference. Like I’m a Danaide you know! I’m perpetually trying to fill that jar but it’s impossible. Like, if I stopped superheroing, would people even notice? Not like I wanna! I could never! I have these powers and I will use them for good. Ugh, I don’t know, it’s nothing, I’m just tired, and I’m sorry, I’m just talking and talking and you probably got stuff to do? I’m sorry, I should just get back to Queens and stop taking so much of your time and – ”

“Spider-Man.”

Daredevil’s very serious voice stops Peter’s rambling quite effectively. Peter takes a deep breath and gives a shaky nod.

“Okay. Right. Sorry about that. I’ll just go – ”

“I know how you feel,” he says instead of admonishing him like Peter thought he would.

“Yeah? But you’re like – hm, chill?” Peter almost said ‘an adult’ but he doesn’t want to betray his real age (although he thinks Daredevil isn’t fooled).

“Look, I know this – being a vigilante or a superhero, whatever you want to call it – is hard. But you’re not alone. I know you work with Stark. You have friends, family?”

Daredevil’s voice is different, it’s something Peter has never heard from him: soft, understanding, maybe even caring. It’s nothing like the hard-stanced, badass crime-fighting devil.

“Yeah,” Peter answers. “I got those. Not many but they’re great.”

“That’s what matters. Listen, I’ve got something to do but here’s something: you can’t take care of people if you don’t take care of yourself.”

“Do you?” Peter shoots back before he can think about it. It’s not defiant, it’s out of worry. He has seen the man get beaten and then limp away, pretending he was not hurting.

Daredevil laughs (Peter made Daredevil laugh! Ned is never going to believe him!), “I’m trying to. I’ve got some friends too, they’re pretty insistent.”

“Good.”

There is some awkward silence, neither of them knows what to say next.

“Okay!” Peter says too loudly. “Time to go! Thanks for the chat man, it was greatly appreciated and all that.”

He turns to go but Daredevil’s voice stops him: “You can always come to Hell’s Kitchen, you know?”

It sounds like a promise.

“Well, Queens will always welcome you too, Dale.”

Daredevil shakes his head and snorts.

“I will get it right one day, just you wait!”

 

* * *

 

That night, Peter goes back home. He is still tired, but he no longer feels like the weight of the world is crushing him.

May is surprised to see him come home so early but she says nothing, she just smiles and ruffles his hair. She had a hard time accepting her nephew was Spider-Man and is still struggling accepting that he is risking his life.

She knows that she can’t stop Peter from being a hero, she knows him too much. She raised him after all. She has established some rules though: curfews on school nights and he has to tell her what happens in his patrols, especially if he has been hurt.

She keeps also in contact with Happy to make sure that Peter is not overdoing himself.

It’s taken some time but they have found a new form of normalcy again, a new routine. Peter knows that it’s hard for May, he wanted to protect her from it but now that she knows there is no way of hiding this part of him from her anymore.

(It’s a relief too. He never liked lying to her.)

They watch a movie together and for once Peter forgets all about being a superhero, forgets about his worries, even just for a night. He has not been this relaxed in what feels like forever.

“I’m not a Greek lady,” he mumbles to May when she puts a blanket on him, the movie long forgotten.

“I’ve never doubted it.”

Before he falls asleep, he has one last thought for Daredevil. He hopes the vigilante really has people looking out for him. New Yorks are divided on the Devil of Hell’s Kitchen but Peter knows the truth: he is only just a man trying to make his neighborhood safe, and he is a good man.

New Yorkers are divided on Spider-Man too, maybe him and Daredevil could make a dynamic duo together. They’d call it Team Red or something.

He’d have to tell him that next time he sees him.

**Author's Note:**

> I love Peter Parker and seeing Homecoming reminded me of my undying love for this smol kid so I might write more about him!
> 
> I hope you liked this!
> 
> Maybe come say hi on my tumblr? I take prompts! It's kingtxhalla dot tumblr dot com.
> 
> Thanks for reading :)


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